PYRITES

pyrites

(noun) any of various metallic-looking sulfides (of which pyrite is the commonest)

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Noun

pyrites

plural of pyrite

Anagrams

• stripey

Source: Wiktionary


Py*ri"tes, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. Pyre.] (Min.)

Definition: A name given to a number of metallic minerals, sulphides of iron, copper, cobalt, nickel, and tin, of a white or yellowish color.

Note: The term was originally applied to the mineral pyrite, or iron pyrites, in allusion to its giving sparks when struck with steel. Arsenical pyrites, arsenopyrite.

– Auriferous pyrites. See under Auriferous.

– Capillary pyrites, millerite.

– Common pyrites, isometric iron disulphide; pyrite.

– Hair pyrites, millerite.

– Iron pyrites. See Pyrite.

– Magnetic pyrites, pyrrhotite.

– Tin pyrites, stannite.

– White iron pyrites, orthorhombic iron disulphide; marcasite. This includes cockscomb pyrites (a variety of marcasite, named in allusion to its form), spear pyrites, etc.

– Yellow, or Copper, pyrites, the sulphide of copper and iron; chalcopyrite.

PYRITE

Pyr"ite, n.; pl. Pyrites. Etym: [Cf. F. pyrite. See Pyrites.] (Min.)

Definition: A common mineral of a pale brass-yellow color and brilliant metallic luster, crystallizing in the isometric system; iron pyrites; iron disulphide. Hence sable coal his massy couch extends, And stars of gold the sparkling pyrite blends. E. Darwin.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

31 January 2025

DISPERSION

(noun) the act of dispersing or diffusing something; “the dispersion of the troops”; “the diffusion of knowledge”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

The earliest credible evidence of coffee-drinking as the modern beverage appeared in modern-day Yemen. In the middle of the 15th century in Sufi shrines where coffee seeds were first roasted and brewed for drinking. The Yemenis procured the coffee beans from the Ethiopian Highlands.

coffee icon